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By
ETHAN CUHULINN
David Attenborough has been
a hero of science and rational thought since his
seminal 13-part television series "Life on Earth"
was shown on BBC in 1978. While nature programs
have always been popular on TV, both in the U.S.
and Europe, until then they were made up of little
more than footage of animals eating and drinking
and chasing each other. There was no point to many
of these programs. They were mostly harmless, some
were insipid and most carried the middlebrow
National Geographic imprimatur. Sir Attenborough's
opus was different. It not only featured
unprecedented camera work that captured animals at
activities that could only be guessed at before,
but above all the series was a detailed,
scientifically rigorous argument for the validity
of Evolutionary Theory as the only lucid
explanation of life on Earth. There was no
pussyfooting, no wishy-washy
let's-not-insult-the-religious-morons
acknowledgement that maybe, just maybe, all this
Darwin stuff is bunk and creationism may be
something more than an underhanded fairy tale told
by aspiring theocrats. Nope. For thirteen weeks
Sir Attenborough's sense of awe of what Evolution,
not some supernatural meddler in the sky, had
created was infectious.
"Life on Earth" was watched by an estimated 500
million people worldwide and since then Sir
Attenborough has continued producing first-rate
nature series, most notably "The Living Planet"
(how plants and animals are adapted to their
environments), "The Trials of Life" (how different
species survive), "The Blue Planet: Seas of Life"
(marine life), and "The Life of Birds" (life in
the air). Unfortunately, as I write this in the
summer of 2003, "Life on Earth" and the two series
that followed it have not been released on DVD.
However, "The Life of Mammals," produced last
year, is now available and while Sir Attenborough
is getting older he's lost none of his
considerable enthusiasm or intelligence. The
10-part series concentrates on the most diverse
class to have evolved on Earth, a class that, of
course, includes us.
Undoubtedly one of evolution's greatest success
stories (for the time being, at least) mammals did
deserve their own series. Again, Sir Attenborough
is not satisfied to simply describe or even show
(and filming techniques have indeed improved since
1978) mammals in their natural environment. He's
also educating us in the most profound sense since
he puts the story of our animal class into
perspective: How did mammals manage to spread all
over the Earth, almost regardless of climate, and
in so many different variations and sizes? From
the tiny two-inch pygmy shrew to the biggest
animal ever, the blue whale, there are more than
4,000 mammalian species and we're everywhere,
having managed to outlive the dinosaurs and spread
far and wide. Why? It's all about adaptability.
Infinite variety in shape, size, lifestyle and
diet has allowed this one class to cover the
Earth.
The series begins with "A Winning Design," which
focuses on what distinguishes mammals from other
classes like reptiles and birds; the second
chapter, "Insect Hunters," concentrates on those
mammals that survive by eating insects; "Plant
Predators" deals with herbivores; "Chisellers" is
about mammals that feed on roots and seeds; the
relationship between predators and prey is
examined in "Meat Eaters" -- and it's far more
sophisticated than one would think; omnivores are
the stars of "Opportunists"; and "Return to the
Water" discusses whales, seals, and dolphins. The
last three episodes, "Life in the Trees," "Social
Climbers," and "Food for Thought," are about the
development of primates, including homo sapiens.
The episodes are letterboxed at 1.78:1 and there
are a few extras: A superb 40-minute
behind-the-scenes featurette, a fact file on
several species (it contains 130 stills), a photo
gallery, the musical score from the show and a
10-minute promotional reel that's a music video
cum trailer.
An overall exceptional DVD. |
